The pandemic might have forced the hand of many businesses to shift online, but it isn’t a choice anymore. Most companies have set up a hybrid or remote system for their employees which means that they need to stay in touch the whole time.
So, most employees have to use smartphones and tablets for daily communication. This means that any and all mobile devices that your employees use for business also need security. If you haven’t outsourced to an IT support company, the entire onus of mobile security will fall on your shoulders. Not only is this a daunting task, but most businesses also have no clue what to do about it. This article will talk about a few important security tips for business phones.
#1: Upgrade All Devices
It may be fine if you don’t upgrade your personal phone for a few years, however, the same can’t be said about business devices. Most phones stop receiving regular OS updates after some time. These updates can include security patches to save your device from zero-day attacks, distributed denial of service attackers, malicious code, and ransomware. So, it is important to upgrade all business devices whether or not you think they’re working fine. Contact your IT department if your phone is an older model that you haven’t updated in a while or you could be at risk.
#2: Create Strong Passwords
All your passwords, whether they are for personal or business accounts, need to have strong passwords. A strong password is one that has:
- At least 8 characters
- A mix of capital and small case letters
- At least one number
- One or more special characters or symbols
A strong password doesn’t make your account impenetrable. However, it can make it difficult for any potential hackers to get in. It is also a good practice to regularly update all your passwords and never use the same password for more than one account. The IT department of your company should conduct regular training for all employees and mandate a password change every few weeks.
#3: Use Mobile Security Solutions
Face ID, Touch ID, passcodes, and multi-factor authentication are all important and effective security tools. So, using the built-in security tools on your phone may be the first step you should take. Major enterprises like Apple, Samsung, IBM, etc., have professional and fool-proof mobile security solutions to help businesses remain safe. Most of these solutions come built-in for the latest phone models and can keep your phone safe from malicious tampering. If your business hasn’t already invested in a mobile security solution, the best time to do this was yesterday.
#4: Regularly Review Mobile Security Policy
Mobile security policies can’t be sitting on the shelf for years. There is a lot that changes with time when it comes to security updates, mobile usage, the age of smartphones, and other issues. So, a constant review of the policy should be a regularly scheduled event.
Hackers keep learning new and more sophisticated ways to hack into systems. Phishing and social engineering keep getting better. So, whether it is about allowed software on phones, password policies, wireless internet settings, or adding new devices to the system. All of this and more comes under your company’s mobile security policy and you need to account for changing external and internal factors.
#5: Get Mobile Device Management (MDM) Tools
Many large-scale enterprises have every reason to adopt MDM tools. However, small and medium-scale businesses should also get these tools for managing the entire fleet of on-the-go mobile devices. It should be a mainstay, especially for companies that allow employees to bring their own devices to the workplace or use them for business reasons.
There are many MDM tools that your company can use. However, choosing the right one might take some time. The right MDM can allow you to roll out applications and software updates centrally through the IT department. You can manage all the devices that your employees use and ensure that no device exposes you to a security risk. Moreover, MDMs can also help you restrict employees and only allow them access to the data and settings that they need.
#6: Factor in Basic Negligence
No matter what MDM tool you use or how many training camps you run with your employees, you cannot ignore the risks of basic negligence. So, even if you think you have equipped your employees with all that they need to keep their smartphones safe, you will need some additional and central security layer. This could be as simple as an administrative password layer to more complex protocols like encrypting the entire business data. Employees are still humans and you can’t fully rely on them to not make any mistakes.
